Embracing Brokenness

Garnering and harboring excessive wealth is something that has been nibbling at my conscience for a while. I can’t escape the gnawing feeling. The unfathomable amount of money resident not only in this country but around the world and the huge disparaging gap between those with and those without is striking.

God has a lot to say about finances in his Word. In fact, money and possessions are the second most referenced topic in the Bible – money is mentioned more than 800 times. How we treat the poor, how we manage our finances, and our accountability in doing so in this life is paramount.

Over the years I have come across a number of very rich Christians. Some of them are among the godliest and most committed believers I have known. Their riches are not necessarily a sign of God’s blessing – but neither are they something bad. The key thing is how you see your money, and what you do with it.

In today's podcast, we take a deeper look at wealth and how God views it.

In this final podcast episode on Identity Matters, we focus on safe people. We all desire to have close relationships with people we trust. People we know that are willing to battle it out in life by our side and have our backs.

What would you consider to be attributes of safe people? We'll explore this topic in detail and more as we wrap up this series of teaching on the all-important subject of Identity in Christ.

In this podcast, we cover the topic of intimacy with God through hearing His voice. What might that look like for you?  Is it through scripture, others, that still small voice inside you namely the Holy Spirit? Does God speak to you through circumstances or unique moments in time?

It's a topic not often discussed in church but one of the most critical parts of our spiritual journey toward wholeness in Christ.

Every day we experience brokenness in the form of consequences as a result of what is often called, original sin. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil all hell broke loose. Literally. Satan got exactly what he wanted. 

Here's the good news. God always wins. He's the Creator of all and knows all. He wired each of our brains to heal from wounds that have been inflicted upon us. Yet, we still suffer the losses from being separated from God. 

In today's podcast, we take a brief look at what the cost looks like in each of our lives. 

In case you weren't aware of it, a war broke out in Heaven on the heels of creation. When Lucifer rebelled and took 1/3 of the angels with him he landed on planet earth. Unfortunately, we then became the target of his evil ways and have been dealing with the consequences ever since.

In this podcast, Steve talks about the impact that Satan has on our identity as he reviews the sequence of events that led to the fall of man. Thankfully God provided a way back to Him through the saving grace of His son Jesus Christ.

When it comes to matters of identity it's vitally important that we understand who we are. Not just how we view ourselves but more importantly how God sees us. After all, He did create us in His image and likeness - with traits and characteristics that model His goodness. All was distorted when we decide we wanted to be like God.

But restoration is coming. 

In this episode, we go deeper into what Genesis 1 and 2 say about us and our God-given identity. 

In our second of a multi-podcast series on Identity, we examine how critically important it is to understand who God is and why what we believe about Him really does matter. Much of our impressions of who He is and how He sees us are formed at a very young age. How that translates into our day-to-day lives forms our ability to grow in our faith and in the knowledge of what a loving relationship with God should be. 

In today's Podcast, Steve had the privilege of speaking with J.R. Woodgates. The author of Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path, and former Voice of America on-air personality.

J.R. graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in broadcast journalism. He enjoyed a long radio career, internationally for 27 years at the Voice of America, locally in Washington, DC for 13 years at WETA part-time. He was live on-air with VOA when the planes exploded into the Twin Towers, in PA, and the Pentagon on 9/11, and the world experienced the most horrific terror attack ever seen on U.S. soil.

Now, as an advocate for restorative justice, it’s his goal for prisoners everywhere to learn about and experience the relief, restoration, and empowerment they can enjoy as repentant, forgiven, and blessed sons of God.

Tune in and be blessed yourself by J.R.'s story of restoration. How God carried him through his own healing journey and the consequences he experienced that landed him in Federal Prison. God wins though, every time.

To purchase J.R. Woodgates book, Daily Light on the Prisoners Path visit https://www.dlpp.info/

Choices have consequences. Some are more devastating than others. In today's podcast, Steve shares more about his own healing journey that started some 30 years ago with a 90-day stint in Federal Prison. A lifelong believer in Jesus was tempted by what the world had to offer and it landed him in a very precarious situation. But redemption awaited. He only needed to look up and lookout.

This is the beginning of that story that would lead to a book currently awaiting publication, 90 Days on the Inside - Short-timers Journey of Brokenness, Surrender, & Healing. Read more here www.90DaysInside.com